{"id":660700,"date":"2026-03-16T23:08:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T23:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/660700\/"},"modified":"2026-03-16T23:08:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T23:08:15","slug":"moving-second-base-no-batter-timeouts-minor-leagues-to-feature-major-rule-changes-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/660700\/","title":{"rendered":"Moving second base? No batter timeouts? Minor leagues to feature major rule changes in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Moving second base? Dramatic checked-swing changes? Crackdowns on batter timeouts and PitchCom chicanery?<\/p>\n

A host of fascinating rule change experiments are coming to the minor leagues in 2026, according to a memo obtained by The Athletic after it was sent by Major League Baseball to all 30 clubs last week. Details of the memo were first reported by FanGraphs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Many of the new 2026 rules are certain to raise eyebrows, not to mention the blood pressure of minor-league managers and executives. But unlike the pitch clock and ball-strike challenge system, which also began as minor-league experiments, there is no guarantee you will ever see any of these changes at a major-league ballpark near you.<\/p>\n

For nearly a decade now, MLB has used the minor leagues as a test lab for all sorts of ideas \u2014 some sport-changing, some that were quickly abandoned. The 2026 changes are viewed as experimental, not inevitable. But in player development departments across baseball, officials are already scrambling to educate players and staff on what they\u2019re about to encounter.<\/p>\n

The minor-league changes will be spread out, and applied differently, among different leagues and levels of the minors. Here is what those various leagues will be working through:<\/p>\n

Moving second base<\/p>\n

Did you know that for more than 100 years, second base has been located in the wrong place? True story. Despite what you learned in Little League, second base has\u00a0never\u00a0been 90 feet from first or third base, basically because it flunked geometry.<\/p>\n

Confused yet? Here\u2019s the deal: Imagine the infield as a perfectly symmetrical diamond. If you then draw an imaginary line around the infield, first base and third base are in the perfect spot, in their respective corners of that diamond. Second base, on the other hand, is\u00a0not.<\/p>\n

Basically, it\u2019s halfway inside and halfway outside that imaginary diamond. So that\u2019s about to change \u2014 in the International League, at least.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n (Source: Official Rules of Baseball)<\/p>\n

Beginning in the second half of the season, the second-base bag will move to its rightful spot in the corner of the imaginary diamond. That means it will be closer to home plate, but more importantly, it will also be about 9 inches closer to both the first-base and third-base bags \u2014 and 13 \u00bd inches closer than it was before rule changes increased the size of the bases.<\/p>\n

\u201cOriginal\u201d distance \u2014 <\/b>88 feet, 1 1\/2 inches
Distance with larger bases \u2014 <\/b>87 feet, 9 inches
\u201cNew\u201d distance \u2014 <\/b>87 feet<\/p>\n

We wrote much more extensively about all of this four years ago, the first time the sport experimented with this change in the minors. If you\u2019re curious, you can read more about why second base wound up in the wrong place here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the goal? <\/b>Three years ago, MLB introduced rule changes designed to inspire big leaguers to start stealing more bases. It worked great \u2014 for a while. But last year, the league saw a decrease in stolen-base attempts and success rate. So the hope, obviously, is that if the distance between the bases gets shorter, it will rev up the running game again. But that\u2019s not the only experiment being trotted out with that goal in mind.<\/p>\n

Fewer disengagements<\/p>\n

This is one time when \u201cdisengagements\u201d has nothing to do with the Kardashians. Once again, it\u2019s about trying to get those base stealers moving again.<\/p>\n

In the big leagues, nothing will change. So pitchers still have two disengagements per batter. That translates to two pickoff throws, or some combination of stepping off the rubber or throwing to a base. If they do that a third time, it\u2019s a balk, unless the runner is thrown out.<\/p>\n

But starting with Opening Day, in the three Double-A leagues \u2014 the Eastern, Midwest and Southern Leagues \u2014 pitchers will be allowed to use only one\u00a0disengagement instead of two. So it will now be a balk on the second pickoff move if they fail to throw out the runner.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the goal? <\/b>Again, you know what fans really like? Base stealing. So what\u2019s the best way to get more of it into the sport? MLB is trying to figure that out. What it doesn\u2019t know is which rule change is most likely to inspire more base stealing \u2013 a shorter pickoff limit\/disengagement leash or a shorter distance between bases. So it will unleash both of those experiments at different levels of the minors \u2014 and see what it can learn.<\/p>\n

High-tech checked-swing rules<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s sum up the rule on checked swings: Um, there actually is no rule, so the umpiring standard has always been,\u00a0We\u2019ll know it when we see it.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s finally beginning to occur to everyone, though, that that standard was easier to live with in 1926 than in 2026. That\u2019s because, in 2026, there\u2019s this newfangled thing known as technology. And if you\u2019re planning to watch any minor-league baseball in Tacoma or Albuquerque this year, you\u2019re about to become very aware of that.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

For a couple of years now, baseball has experimented with using bat-tracking technology in the Low-A Florida State League to hone in on checked swings \u2014 and help determine whether a batter swung at a pitch or not. That technology is now coming to the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, starting with each team\u2019s first full series in May.<\/p>\n

It will have two intriguing new components:<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Hitters, catchers and pitchers can challenge a checked-swing call \u2014 but it will count against their two ABS ball\/strike challenges if the original call is upheld. The idea there is to introduce the new technology but not overload each game with more challenges.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> And for the first time, there will be wording that lays out what a \u201cswing\u201d is. According to the memo, if the \u201cmaximum angle between the bat head and the bat handle exceeds 45 degrees,\u201d that will be considered a swing. Anything less than 45 degrees is considered a no-swing.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the goal? <\/b>It\u2019s the latest chapter in baseball\u2019s never-ending quest to reduce the strikeout rate. Will it work? We\u2019ll find out. But in the Florida State League last season, the strikeout rate dropped by more than 3 percentage points with this checked-swing technology in place. So let\u2019s see if that translates at higher levels.<\/p>\n

But there are two more things you should know. One is that 45 degrees is generally thought to be significantly farther than many checked swings that are currently being called \u201ca swing\u201d (i.e., a strike) in the big leagues. So expect some fired-up pitchers and managers when they see how this goes.<\/p>\n

Second, this technology will only be used in the PCL. It will not be used in baseball\u2019s other Triple-A league, the International League. However, the 45-degree standard will\u00a0now be considered the dividing line between a swing and a checked swing. So International League umpires will be expected to enforce the same concepts, even though teams won\u2019t have the technology or a challenge system to lean on if they disagree. What could possibly go wrong there?<\/p>\n

It will get harder to beat the pitch clock<\/p>\n

Three years after one of the most important rule changes in history, we know this: The pitch clock works. Games are shorter. The action is crisper. So why is MLB about to crack down on the legal methods players have devised to get that clock to stop when they need a breather?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s because games actually got two minutes longer in the big leagues last year, creeping from 2 hours, 36 minutes for the average nine-inning game to 2:38. So the league wants to try out a few anti-stalling measures just to see what works.<\/p>\n

No batter timeouts in Low A \u2014 <\/b>In Low-A leagues, batters will no longer be allowed to call timeout at any point in an-bat, except for \u201cspecial circumstances.\u201d The league\u2019s definition of those circumstances: brushbacks, injury concerns, \u201cbona fide\u201d equipment issues, etc.<\/p>\n

Limited batter timeouts in High A \u2014 <\/b>In High-A leagues, batters can call time only with a runner on base. Again, the same \u201cspecial circumstances\u201d will be the exception.<\/p>\n

Shorter timeouts in Double A and Triple A \u2014 <\/b>In those upper levels, batters can still call time. But umpires will no longer wait for the hitter to be ready before they restart the clock. Instead, they will immediately reset the pitch clock \u2014 and hitters have to be back in the box, eyes locked on the pitcher before the clock hits eight seconds remaining.<\/p>\n

Crackdowns on PitchCom glitches \u2014 <\/b>The league has (correctly) figured out that pitchers are now stopping the clock more often by routinely claiming their PitchCom devices aren\u2019t working. In Triple A, they can still do that, but it will be counted against their \u201cmound visit\u201d limits. If a pitcher claims his PitchCom is on the fritz after his team is out of mound visits, it will be considered a pitch-clock violation \u2014 meaning it\u2019s an automatic ball.<\/p>\n

Quicker mound visits \u2014 <\/b>Speaking of mound visits, the league wants to speed those up. So throughout the minor leagues, there will be a mound-visit countdown clock. And everyone except the pitcher has to leave the mound before that clock hits zero. If that doesn\u2019t happen, it will also be considered a pitch-clock violation.<\/p>\n

Catchers will be on the clock \u2014 <\/b>Across the minor leagues, catchers can no longer stop the clock by getting out of their crouch and leaving their position to give defensive signals to the infielders. The clock now will continue to tick, and the catcher needs to be back in the catcher\u2019s box before it hits nine. That, too, will be a pitch-clock violation if he doesn\u2019t make it.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the goal? <\/b>The league apparently considers these techniques to be a mild form of chicanery. So it wants to gauge the impact of keeping these clock-stopping tricks to a minimum. It\u2019s possible none of this will ever reach the big leagues. But it\u2019s not impossible, either.<\/p>\n

Starting pitchers returning to the game<\/p>\n

If you watch much spring training baseball, you\u2019re already familiar with this. A starting pitcher gets in trouble in the second or third inning. His pitch count for the inning ticks close to 25 or 30. So the manager has the freedom to take him out of the game for the rest of that inning, then bring him back to start the next inning.<\/p>\n

That rule is now coming to baseball\u2019s three development leagues: the Arizona Complex League, Florida Complex League and Dominican Summer League. It will not be in effect in any of the more advanced leagues.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the goal? <\/b>This is one change that has no implications for any other league. It\u2019s purely a safety valve to keep the youngest pitching prospects in the sport from getting overloaded, fatigued and, potentially, injured when an inning reels in the wrong direction. There are no plans to expand this one beyond spring training and these short-season leagues. So don\u2019t bet on the Pirates ever being able to try it some night with Paul Skenes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Moving second base? Dramatic checked-swing changes? Crackdowns on batter timeouts and PitchCom chicanery? A host of fascinating rule…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":660701,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[1279,3955,1280,1276,1281,1271,1274,5048,1282,1283,1885,2382,1284,1285,2502,1286,4247,1287,1266,1305,2228,2083,1886,1306,1275,1288,62,3692,1289,1278,1290,67,132,68,1291],"class_list":{"0":"post-660700","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb","8":"tag-arizona-diamondbacks","9":"tag-athletics","10":"tag-atlanta-braves","11":"tag-baltimore-orioles","12":"tag-boston-red-sox","13":"tag-chicago-cubs","14":"tag-chicago-white-sox","15":"tag-cincinnati-reds","16":"tag-cleveland-guardians","17":"tag-colorado-rockies","18":"tag-detroit-tigers","19":"tag-houston-astros","20":"tag-kansas-city-royals","21":"tag-los-angeles-angels","22":"tag-los-angeles-dodgers","23":"tag-miami-marlins","24":"tag-milwaukee-brewers","25":"tag-minnesota-twins","26":"tag-mlb","27":"tag-new-york-mets","28":"tag-new-york-yankees","29":"tag-philadelphia-phillies","30":"tag-pittsburgh-pirates","31":"tag-san-diego-padres","32":"tag-san-francisco-giants","33":"tag-seattle-mariners","34":"tag-sports","35":"tag-st-louis-cardinals","36":"tag-tampa-bay-rays","37":"tag-texas-rangers","38":"tag-toronto-blue-jays","39":"tag-united-states","40":"tag-unitedstates","41":"tag-us","42":"tag-washington-nationals"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/660700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=660700"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/660700\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/660701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=660700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=660700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=660700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}